Coin selector device



Feb. 19, 1946. H. T. LARIMORE CIN SELECTOR DEVICE Filed July 14, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 19, 1946. H. T. LARIMORE GOIN SELECTOR DEVICE Filed .July 14, 194s 2 'sheets-sheet 2 scribed drops to an inclined runway formed by a ledge or flange 48 on the underside of scavenger IB (position N1). It rolls down this runway (path c) in a narrow passage formed by a space between the plate I and a spaced bracket 42. The space is just enough to let a coin of true thickness pass freely. If the token is too thick, or is bent, it will wedge in the passage.

A permanent magnet 43 is provided, its poles lying iiush with one side of the passage, and iron or steel tokens will be attracted and held by it.

A good nickel runs off the end of the ange 40, describing an arc as shown by path c in Figure 3 and falling on an anvil 44 (position N2). If the coin is a true one it rebounds freely, describing another curved course (d and f) which brings it through the coin outlet 46. From the outlet 46, it is guided into mechanism not shown, by which operation of the vending machine is effected. The mechanism may be arranged, for example, so that the coin forms a mechanical coupling between the manual operating lever and the goods delivery mechanism of the machine, the coin being discharged into a receptacle after the machine has been actuated.

If the token striking the anvil 44 is of some soft material such as lead, it will fall short upon rebound, dropping into the return chute 48.

For those tokens which may have been held in the mechanism at some intermediate point, a clearance means is provided by which the scavenger I6 is raised to free any tokens which may be held by it. Such tokens are deected by curved flange I3 on plate I8 and finger I5 on bracket II into space I9 and roll along the bottom 2| of such space and into return chute 48.

The mechanism thus far described is that of a well known commercial device and is not my invention. My invention does lie, however, in certain improvements which I shall now describe.

If a penny be dropped down the deposit chute I8 and into the vertical passage, between I8 and I 8 (path g), it will not deect lever 20 enough to retract the undersize wire 24, because the diameter of the penny is less than that of a nickel. Consequently, in the apparatus described above the penny would be wedged between the wire 24 and the flange I2. In my modication I provide a slot 58 in the flange I2 through which the penny can pass freely, as indicated in dotted lines (path h) in Figure 3. On the outside of the ange I2 adjacent this slot I provide a sheath 52, which consists of a deep channel-shaped member attached' to the flange I2 and having the correct dimensions to receive a penny,

On a pivot 54 (see Figure 1) I mount a bellcrank lever 56 having an arm 58 which carries a projection 68 extending below the sheath 52, in such a way that it normally prevents a penny from dropping out of the sheath (penny at position P1). The lever 55 has another arm 62 which extends into engagement with the opern ating mechanism of the machine, the engagement being such that lever 62 is moved toward the left as viewed in Figure 1, when the machine is actuated to vend an article. Upon such a movement of the arm 62 the lever 58 will be rotated clockwise, and the resulting movement of the projection 60 will be such as to allow the penny to drop out of the sheath 52 into any suitable receptacle which may be provided for receiving the coins.

A bracket 64 is mounted on the back of the plate I8 and has upturned ears `66 and 68 in which a wire member designated generally as 'l0 is pivotally mounted. A portion 'I2 of the wire member 10 extends between the mounting ears 66 and 68 and has an outwardly extending arm I4 carrying a weight 'I6 which tends to rotate the portion I2 counterclockwise as viewed in Figure 2. The arm 18 extends downwardly from the mounting ear 66 and terminates in a horizontal projecting portion 88 normally extending through a hole 82 in the plate I0 and into the normal path of a true nickel, as may be seen in Figure 3. Another arm 84 extends downwardly from the mounting lug 68 and its lower end 86 normally projects into the space at the lower end of 'the sheath 52 which is occupied by a penny at position P1. With no penny in this space the weight 'I6 holds the projecting portion 80 of the wire member in the path of a true nickel. This projecting portion interferes with the rebound (path d) of a true coin from the anvil 44, deflecting it to the dotted position illustrated in Figure 3, causing the coin to fall along path e from position N3 into the return chute 48.

If a penny is in place (position P1) in the sheath 52, it will displace the arm 84 of the wire member 'I0 into the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2. This will cause the arm 'I8 and the projecting portion 88 to be withdrawn, as best sh'own in Figure 4, and will permit a good nickel to rebound properly and pass through the coin outlet 46. It will .be understood therefore that the selector will not keep the nickel, even a good one, unless the penny has first been deposited. When a penny has been deposited, the subsequent deposit of a good nickel will put the vending machine in operative condition. When the manual operating lever is moved to work the machine the arm v62 will be moved to the left as previously described, allowing the penny to drop into the receptacle provided for it. Similarly after the operation of the machine the nickel will also drop into a receptacle.

I arrange my devicev so that movement of the arm 82 toward the right in Figure 1 will accomplish a scavenging operation. The post 88 mounted on lever 55 normally is held in the bottom of a slot 98 formed in a link 92, by reason of the tension of a spring 94 which extends from the post 88 to a fastening 96 at the lower end of link 92. The post 88 is spaced on the lever 56 from its pivot point 54. Lever 56 can be rotated clockwise without aiecting link 92, because post 88 merely moves upward in slot 90, but when arm 62 is moved toward the right, rotating lever 56 counterclockwise, link 92 will be pulled downwardly. The link is pivoted by rivet 98 at its top end to a lever |88, which is in turn pivoted at I82 to the mounting plate I0. A portion |04 of lever I extends through an opening |86 in mounting plate I8 and actuates the scavenger or clearing mechanism previously referred to, when lever |68 moves downwardly.

Movement of the arm 82 toward the right (in Figure 1) rotates the lever 56 in a counterclockwise direction, and causes the projecting portion 68 of arm 51 to move the penny back through the slot 5U (path y in Figure 3) from which it drops onto bottom 2I at position P2 and then takes path k to position P3 in the coin return chute 48. Thus by manually actuating the coin return lever for the machine in such a way as to move arm 62 to the right in Figure 1, the penny which has been deposited in the machine can be returned, and any token which has been held in the selector can also be'returned.

Thus if the user deposits a penny and either does not deposit a nickel or deposits a token which is rejected by the selector, he can have the penny returned. v

A nickel alone will not operate the machine, but when a penny has been deposited so that a nickel can be retained, the nickel is subjected to all the customary tests; hence, a substantial part of the money received by the machine is protected by these tests.

The device is fool-proof in that the user cannot render the machine inoperative by depositing the coins in the wrong order. If he deposits his nickel rst it will come back, and of course it makes a noise in the return chute which calls the users attention to it. If he deposits his penny first the selector will subsequently accept a goed nickel and make the machine operative.

The modications which are required in a standard slug rejector are of fairly simple character and require very little in the Way of additional materials. No changes in the regular actuating mechanism of the vending machine need be made. No additional coin receiving slot is necessary, so that the exterior arrangement of the vending machine case need not be altered.

It will be apparent that my invention has substantial advantages in the way of convenience and economy.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modiiied forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a coin selector for a coin operated device requiring the deposit of two coins of different denominations and in a specified order to render the device operative, means receiving a coin of Y denomination and holding it temporarily at a predetermined position, means receiving a coin of X denomination, and means causing coins of X denomination to be rejected unless a coin of Y denomination is at said predetermined position said last means comprising a movable deflecting elementl moved from deecting position for said coin of X denomination by being engaged by said coin of Y denomination at said predetermined position.

2. In a coin selector for a coin operated device requiring the deposit of two coins of different denominations at a predetermined position and in a specified order to render the device operative, means receiving a coin of Y denomination, means receiving a coin of X denomination, and deiiecting means causing the coin of X denomination to be rejected unless a coin of Y denomination is at said predetermined position, said deflecting means having a portion in the path of movement of said coin of Y denomination, said portion being moved by the coin of Y denomination as it assumes said predetermined position .and the deecting means beingl thereby moved from deflecting position. n

3. In a coin selector for a coin operated device requiring the deposit of two coins of different denominations to render the device operative,

means receiving a coin of Y denomination and holding it temporarily at a predetermined position, means receiving a coin of X denomination, including an anvil for the coin of X denomination to bounce from, means causing coins of X denomination to be rejected unless a coin of Y denomination is at said predetermined position, said last means being engaged by the coin of Y denomination and thereby positioned to spoil the bounce of the other coin, and a return chute to receive said other coin when the bounce is so spoiled.

4. In a coin selector for a coin operated device requiring the presence of a coinof X denomination at a predetermined position to be rendered operative, means receiving a coin of Y denomination and holding it temporarily at a predetermined position, an arm engaged and moved by the coin of Y denomination, means receiving a coin of X denomination, means movable to a position interfering with the normal path of a coin of X denomination and thereby causing it to follow a path dilferent than that leading to said predetermined position unless a coin of Y denomination is at said predetermined position, said arm being -operatively connected with said interfering means to move it from interfering position when said arm is so moved.

5. In a device of the type described, the combination of a coin deposit passageway, means diresting a first coin of one denomination therefrom to a temporary position, an element at said position to be engaged by said first coin, means for `directing a second coin 0f another predetermined denomination from said passageway on a course to a vending machine operating means, a deflector for second coin and operatively connected with said element to be rendered operable by it when so engaged by said rst coin, said deiiector rejecting the second coin if the first coin has not engaged said element.

6. In a device of the type described, the combination of a coin deposit chute, means directing a coin lof X denomination from said chute along a path on which it has a flight in which it is constrained vertically only by gravity, means directing a coin of Y denomination from said chute along another path to a point of rest out of said rst mentioned path, means normally interfering with said iiight of a coin of X denomination except after such coin of Y denomination has passed to said position of rest, said means being moved to a non-interfering position with respect to said flight of the coin of X denomination by the coin of Y denomination.I l

7. In a device of the type described, the combination of a coin deposit passageway, means directing a coin of a predetermined denomination from said passageway on a predetermined course, normally inoperative means interfering with the passage of said coin along said course, and an element engaged by a coin of diiferent denomination in said coin passageway before the first mentioned coin is deposited, said element being operatively connected with said interfering means to render it operative.

HARVEY T, LARIMORE. 

